I'm going to give a very brief overview of how I shop at CVS. If you are interested in learning more, there are a lot of great How-Tos out there that I'll give the links for.
The way that you can get free or cheap items at CVS is by shopping their deals regularly and using their "Extra Care Bucks" program. Each week CVS offers several items such as:
Buy 1 Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste or 360 Toothbrush at $2.88, Get $2 ECBs (Limit 1)
So you will have to pay $2.88 (plus tax) out of your pocket, and then you will get back a coupon that says it is worth "$2 off of your next order".
Now, to bring down your out of pocket expense, Money Saving Mom tells you that there is a $1 off printable coupon or $1 coupon from the 7/12 SmartSource insert. That means that instead of paying $2.88 in cash, you will only pay $1.88, and you will still get your $2 Extra Bucks coupon at the end.
These Extra Care Bucks don't expire for a month. The key is to use those Extra Care Bucks coupons to buy your items for the next week instead of spending cash out of your pocket.
So here's CVSing at my house:
Each Saturday evening, I read Money Saving Mom's post on the weekly CVS deals. I write them down and collect the corresponding coupons. I then consider what amounts of Extra Care Bucks I have. For example, this week I have these Extra Care Buck coupons: $5, $5, $4, $2, $1, $.99
Once I have the deals I want to do for the week, I'll see what combination of my Extra Bucks gets me down to spending the least amount of cash out of my pocket. In this way, I am "rolling" my Extra Bucks to get the next week's items without having to pay too much cash out of my pocket.
Make sense? Really, it's not that hard to do because there are frugal bloggers out there that do all the researching and figuring for you. And I actually enjoy doing the deals.
The one great tip I've figured out is to always ask for a raincheck if they are out of an item I want. Their rainchecks never expire and can come in handy in the dry weeks when there aren't any items I want to spend my Extra Bucks on.
If you want to see more detailed explanations on shopping at CVS, check out these links:
Money Saving Mom's CVS 101
The Thrifty Mama's CVS 101
I Heart CVS blog
the BlogFrog
Posted by | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 1:51 PM
The other POH ladies and myself are always looking for ways to increase reader involvement on POH. (Over email - or sometimes phone - of course, given the crazy distance between us!) We hope that our giveaways last spring may have increased the number of readers, but now we've got a new idea to get you guys more involved...
I was exchanging emails with a friend that is also a POH reader and asked her if she had any ideas for doing this. First, she suggested that the reason our number of comments was declining was possibly due to the fact that many people are using services like "google reader" to organize and read their blogs. By doing so, you don't often visit the actual blog so leaving a comment is an extra step! I know that is what I do.
She then mentioned the "BlogFrog" community on McMama's blog, MyCharmingKids. (Side note: If you don't read that blog - you should go check it out. Her son, Stellan has a heart condition and isn't doing well currently.) I went and checked it out and thought it was a great idea for POH too!
So, if you're currently reading this via a "reader" and not directly at our site - open up POH and check it out! It's on the left sidebar. Here is what it does:
1. Allows us to see the blogs of others who are visiting POH. It appears right in the BlogFrog widget there.
2. Gives us an online forum to start discussions that may or may not relate to that weeks post! You can click where it says "Visit the Prayer of Hannah Community" to see the discussions, reply to a thread or start a new thread!
We would love for you all to use this as a place to answer each other's questions and be able to get encouragement and support from one another; whether you're weaning, getting rid of a pacifier or anything else! This way, its ok to ask "Any tips for pumping at work?" in the middle of the week on coupons. Not that it wasn't before...but hopefully this will feel more open to questions like that.
We had a reader email us asking if there was a way for her to get connected with another POH reader in her area and THIS forum would be the perfect place do that! Just start a discussion that says, "Any POH readers in NC?" and go from there! (Be sure to remember this is public and guard your personal info as much as you can though.)
Please know that we still would LOVE comments on our posts continuing discussion of the topic! We welcome questions of all kinds - but this is just a different place to keep our discussions a little more organized!
Enjoy! Let us know if you have any questions about it.
I was exchanging emails with a friend that is also a POH reader and asked her if she had any ideas for doing this. First, she suggested that the reason our number of comments was declining was possibly due to the fact that many people are using services like "google reader" to organize and read their blogs. By doing so, you don't often visit the actual blog so leaving a comment is an extra step! I know that is what I do.
She then mentioned the "BlogFrog" community on McMama's blog, MyCharmingKids. (Side note: If you don't read that blog - you should go check it out. Her son, Stellan has a heart condition and isn't doing well currently.) I went and checked it out and thought it was a great idea for POH too!
So, if you're currently reading this via a "reader" and not directly at our site - open up POH and check it out! It's on the left sidebar. Here is what it does:
1. Allows us to see the blogs of others who are visiting POH. It appears right in the BlogFrog widget there.
2. Gives us an online forum to start discussions that may or may not relate to that weeks post! You can click where it says "Visit the Prayer of Hannah Community" to see the discussions, reply to a thread or start a new thread!
We would love for you all to use this as a place to answer each other's questions and be able to get encouragement and support from one another; whether you're weaning, getting rid of a pacifier or anything else! This way, its ok to ask "Any tips for pumping at work?" in the middle of the week on coupons. Not that it wasn't before...but hopefully this will feel more open to questions like that.
We had a reader email us asking if there was a way for her to get connected with another POH reader in her area and THIS forum would be the perfect place do that! Just start a discussion that says, "Any POH readers in NC?" and go from there! (Be sure to remember this is public and guard your personal info as much as you can though.)
Please know that we still would LOVE comments on our posts continuing discussion of the topic! We welcome questions of all kinds - but this is just a different place to keep our discussions a little more organized!
Enjoy! Let us know if you have any questions about it.
Why and How I use coupons
Posted by | Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 9:51 PM
I remember reading on Christina's blog a long while ago about her "CVSing" and all the great deals she was getting. I thought it seemed like too much work, a hassle, a bunch of stuff I didn't really want, etc. and mostly I just felt too lazy to put the mental effort into figuring it out. But about a year ago I started to get an itch for a little hobby to take on. I was feeling really discouraged about how much I was spending at the grocery store every week and thought maybe I should revisit the whole coupon shopping thing. I collected coupons for about two months without doing anything to them - just saving up so I would be ready. Then in October, I took the plunge. I did two transactions at CVS and two at Walgreens. You can read all about it here. After a couple weeks of shopping at CVS and Walgreens, I figured out how to start using my coupons to shop at my local grocery chains. I discovered a website called Hot Coupon World. It has a discussion forum for each grocery chain where people post the weekly ad with coupon matchups and add ideas for cheap/free items as the week goes on.
I'm really happy to be a coupon clipper/shopper. Here are the biggest benefits:
1. I don't EVER pay for toothpaste, toothbrushes, hair care products, soap, razors.
2. I have drastically cut down our monthly grocery expenses (including toiletries).
3. I have a new hobby.
4. I have a stockpile of goods that help me to meal plan.
Here's the long and short of what couponing looks like in my life:
1. I get the coupon inserts out of my Sunday paper and I get an extra set from my next door neighbor each week. I go through the inserts and clip the coupons I think I will more than likely use at the grocery store (commonly purchased items) and file them in my coupon organizer. (My coupon organizer is a bunch of business sized envelopes in a wicker basket that are labeled cereal, meat, dairy, etc). I then write the date on the top of the insert and file it in a 12x12 scrapbook folder in case I need to go back to get a specific coupon.
2. I read Money Saving Mom and The Thrifty Mama each week to see what the CVS and Walgreens deals are for that week. You can see sample posts here and here.
3. I print out the CVS and Walgreens deals for the week (although I'm currently boycotting Walgreens) and then I go find the corresponding coupons - either already clipped in my organizer, or filed in the scrapbook folder.
4. I shop CVS during the week and I'm sure to get a raincheck if they are out of one of the items - their rainchecks never expire and they can write the coupon code on your raincheck for you to print your coupons at a later date.
5. I look over my grocery store fliers that come in the mail on Wednesday. I also consult the Hot Coupon World forum to see what deals others have posted. I make a list of all the items that are a really good deal for that week - even if I don't need them for that week's menu, I buy them when they are cheap and stockpile them.
6. I consult my menu plan for that week and make a grocery list of the items I need to pick up at the store. Sometimes I know I have a coupon for that item in my coupon organizer. If I'm unsure, I go to Hot Coupon World Coupon Database and search for that item. It gives me a list of all the current coupons that are out there for that item.
7. I go to at least one, if not two grocery stores during the week to shop the deals and buy our needed items.
8. Every now and again, I'll look at Money Saving Mom to see what coupons are yielding free/super cheap items at Target or Walmart and I'll take them with me if I happen to be going there. But we don't have SuperTarget or SuperWalmart here, so I can't always get the great deals she lists.
I have cut our grocery spending from about $480/month to less than $300/month - and that includes all of our toiletries, paper towels, laundry detergent, cleaners, etc. It also includes building up my stockpile from scratch. Here's my current stockpile:
If you want to see some of my grocery deals, click here, here, or here.
Okay, so PLEASE, ask me questions. I'd love to know your thoughts, scepticisms, etc.
I'm really happy to be a coupon clipper/shopper. Here are the biggest benefits:
1. I don't EVER pay for toothpaste, toothbrushes, hair care products, soap, razors.
2. I have drastically cut down our monthly grocery expenses (including toiletries).
3. I have a new hobby.
4. I have a stockpile of goods that help me to meal plan.
Here's the long and short of what couponing looks like in my life:
1. I get the coupon inserts out of my Sunday paper and I get an extra set from my next door neighbor each week. I go through the inserts and clip the coupons I think I will more than likely use at the grocery store (commonly purchased items) and file them in my coupon organizer. (My coupon organizer is a bunch of business sized envelopes in a wicker basket that are labeled cereal, meat, dairy, etc). I then write the date on the top of the insert and file it in a 12x12 scrapbook folder in case I need to go back to get a specific coupon.
2. I read Money Saving Mom and The Thrifty Mama each week to see what the CVS and Walgreens deals are for that week. You can see sample posts here and here.
3. I print out the CVS and Walgreens deals for the week (although I'm currently boycotting Walgreens) and then I go find the corresponding coupons - either already clipped in my organizer, or filed in the scrapbook folder.
4. I shop CVS during the week and I'm sure to get a raincheck if they are out of one of the items - their rainchecks never expire and they can write the coupon code on your raincheck for you to print your coupons at a later date.
5. I look over my grocery store fliers that come in the mail on Wednesday. I also consult the Hot Coupon World forum to see what deals others have posted. I make a list of all the items that are a really good deal for that week - even if I don't need them for that week's menu, I buy them when they are cheap and stockpile them.
6. I consult my menu plan for that week and make a grocery list of the items I need to pick up at the store. Sometimes I know I have a coupon for that item in my coupon organizer. If I'm unsure, I go to Hot Coupon World Coupon Database and search for that item. It gives me a list of all the current coupons that are out there for that item.
7. I go to at least one, if not two grocery stores during the week to shop the deals and buy our needed items.
8. Every now and again, I'll look at Money Saving Mom to see what coupons are yielding free/super cheap items at Target or Walmart and I'll take them with me if I happen to be going there. But we don't have SuperTarget or SuperWalmart here, so I can't always get the great deals she lists.
I have cut our grocery spending from about $480/month to less than $300/month - and that includes all of our toiletries, paper towels, laundry detergent, cleaners, etc. It also includes building up my stockpile from scratch. Here's my current stockpile:
If you want to see some of my grocery deals, click here, here, or here.
Okay, so PLEASE, ask me questions. I'd love to know your thoughts, scepticisms, etc.
Couponing 101
Posted by | Monday, July 27, 2009 at 2:37 PM
This weeks topic is "couponing" or the art of saving money by using coupons! We had been getting coupon questions for a while now - and now that Leah is into coupons too, we decided to make a week out of coupon tips. Later this week, she'll share some more tips - including how to play the "drugstore game" using coupons at places like CVS, Walgreens, etc.
I started using coupons in August of 2007. You can visit our family blog for some of my past deals to get an idea of what I'm regularly able to save. It would be really nice if I used labels on our blog, but I don't so you can find those deal posts here, here, here, and here. Here are some steps to saving at least 30% off your grocery bill:
1. Collect those coupons! Begin saving the coupon inserts from the Sunday paper each week. There are usually about two inserts in each paper, but look carefully. They are provided by Redplum, Smartsource and sometimes P&G Brandsaver. I would recommend saving coupons for several weeks BEFORE attempting to “use” them with the grocery game (or something similar).
We do not get the Sunday paper delivered anymore because we get plenty of coupons from our family. When I do need to get a paper, I buy it at the dollar store where it is only a $1!
2. Organize your coupons! I have tried several ways – it really depends on how you plan to use your coupons. Here are several options:
· Clip all coupons and file in a divided envelope (like a check file). This method is VERY time consuming, especially considering you will not use even half of your coupons.
· Clip all coupons and file in a 3-ring binder with see through baseball card pages. This method is even MORE time consuming and simply not necessary if you're using a list from either the grocery game or coupon mom.
· Clip all coupons and file in multiple dividers in a box of some kind. Again, very time consuming.
· Save all inserts intact and file by name (ie. RP for Redplum) and date. You would only clip the coupons you need each week!
I have tried all above options and currently use a hybrid of the last two options. My husband often helps me clip coupons before grocery trips and we both agree that this is the easiest way to do it! I keep my inserts filed in a 16 (I think) section portfolio binder. The sections are labeled by date and insert. When you get a list of deals for the week (either the grocery game or coupon mom) it will tell you where you find the coupon for that particular item.
The picture below is an example of a box with envelopes for each category where you would clip and file ALL coupons. I have previously used this box in that way, but now it is just the box I take to the store with me. I use the envelopes to file cut (but unused) coupons, coupons that came in the mail, etc. I also keep a calculator, pen, highlighter and scissors in my box!
3. Compare coupons to store sales! This is truly the key to saving lots of money. You can do this step several ways. The idea is to pair up a sale with a coupon to maximize your savings.
· Subscribe to a service like The Grocery Game. (My method!)
· Obtain the sale fliers for you preferred store from the paper or the store website.
· Use a free service like The Coupon Mom.
4. Make a grocery list! Clip or find the coupons you’ll need and head to the store! Be sure to get to know coupon policies at your preferred grocery store. For example, I shop at Harris Teeter and they only double 20 coupons per purchase. If I need to buy more items than that (this is rare) then I’ll make two trips that week.
5. Head to the store! Bring your list and ALL of your clipped coupons. It is very often that I find clearanced items for which I have a coupon. I have gotten nearly free things at Target and Harris Teeter just by having my coupons with me.
Some helpful websites:
The Grocery Game – service provides lists specific to your store, matching coupons to sales.
The Coupon Mom – free service providing similar lists and coupon info
Savvy Dollar – NC specific message boards and deal info
Hot Coupon World
Everyday Saver – source for online coupons.
A Full Cup - this site includes an extensive coupon database of all coupons and where to find them.
Money Saving Mom – great money saving blog with some great couponing 101 posts.
Deal Seeking Mom - another great blog for couponing and other deals.
The Coupon Clippers – service where you can "buy" (really a small handling fee + shipping) coupons for those really good deals.
FAQ’s
What if I don’t want to clip coupons?
Use a service like the coupon clippers. I often use this service to get extra copies of really good coupons! If you are using the GG, you can also save your coupon inserts and only clip needed coupons each week versus clipping all coupons every week!
How do you eat healthy and still use coupons?
This is probably the #1 reason people do not use coupons. Don't be sucked in by a coupon! I know when I first started using them I was tricked into buying a few things just because I had coupons! You don’t have to buy all the junk that you get coupons for! I only buy food that is healthy and that we can eat. The majority of the coupons I use are for non-food items. I save the most on things like shampoo, soap, razors, toilet paper, deodorant, etc. These savings allow me to buy plenty fresh produce, milk, eggs, meat and most of that organic or straight from the farm!
How much does the grocery game cost?
There is a FREE (just became free) 4 week trial! After that, one store list is $10 for 8 weeks. Each additional store is only $5 per 8 weeks. I cannot speak highly enough for this service as far as saving me time and money.
I buy only store brand items on sale, isn’t that cheaper than name brands?
No! I used to be a store brand only (and still am unless I have coupons) shopper. But there are rarely coupons for store brand items - Target being the exception. Frequently the name brands are cheaper when using coupons with sales. One thing to note is that to really save the most money, you can’t be too “brand loyal.” I used to buy only Charmin toilet paper, but now I use all brands and see a huge savings!
Can you use coupons at Walmart and Target?
Sure – but I don’t think the savings are any more than my local Harris Teeter. Walmart and Target do not double coupons like most grocery stores do. The Coupon Mom website includes lists for these stores. To be quite honest, neither store has a great track record for being "coupon friendly" and I am not usually happy with the produce and meat selections at these stores either.
Why do you pay for the Grocery Game when Coupon Mom is the same thing for FREE?
I have compared these two sites several times. The Coupon Mom seems to have slightly lower savings than the Grocery Game. (Both lists tell you percent savings on each item.) I believe this is because the Grocery Game doesn’t just simply pair coupons with sales. They track trends and know when the item is likely to reach its “rock bottom” price. Every time an item is on "sale" does not necessarily mean it is the best time to buy it. I see a higher savings using the Grocery Game.
After all that info, here is a rundown of my weekly coupon routine. Keep in mind that it has taken me two years to get to this point. When you first start with coupons - it will take TIME and it can be frustrating!
1. View and print my grocery game list on Sunday afternoon. (I only pay for a Harris Teeter list and it comes out on Sunday.)
2. Use MoneySavingMom or DealSeekingMom to find out my CVS deals for the week. Print a list of those as well. (More on CVS and other drugstores later this week!)
3. Using those lists, clip the coupons. This takes about 15-20 minutes depending on the length of my list.
4. Shop at Harris Teeter and CVS anytime between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday evening. (The Harris Teeter sales run from Wednesday to Tuesday - SO the grocery game list is only "valid" for that week from Sunday to Tuesday.) Usually Monday is my shopping day. However, I will shop CVS on Sunday if there are some really good deals that I will miss out on if I wait.
One final note...it is important to remember that this method of using coupons is based upon the idea of "stockpiling." Meaning - you don't simply make a meal plan, make a grocery list and use a few coupons for items on your list. You buy items you know you'll need ahead of time - when they are cheapest - and base your meal plans on what you already have or will be getting that week. Does that make sense?
In the two years since couponing, we have been able to lower our grocery budget to about $60/week. (It used to be as low as $50 - but then I added a third child to my household during weekdays and needed some more wiggle room for that!) We also have more toiletry items than I can store and we frequently donate our overflow to the Urban Ministries in Raleigh.
I love that I am able to save my family so much money while also increasing our ability to serve others - whether by donations or by making a meal for someone or by having friends over for dinner! Please ask questions for now and stay tuned for more posts later this week!
I started using coupons in August of 2007. You can visit our family blog for some of my past deals to get an idea of what I'm regularly able to save. It would be really nice if I used labels on our blog, but I don't so you can find those deal posts here, here, here, and here. Here are some steps to saving at least 30% off your grocery bill:
1. Collect those coupons! Begin saving the coupon inserts from the Sunday paper each week. There are usually about two inserts in each paper, but look carefully. They are provided by Redplum, Smartsource and sometimes P&G Brandsaver. I would recommend saving coupons for several weeks BEFORE attempting to “use” them with the grocery game (or something similar).
We do not get the Sunday paper delivered anymore because we get plenty of coupons from our family. When I do need to get a paper, I buy it at the dollar store where it is only a $1!
2. Organize your coupons! I have tried several ways – it really depends on how you plan to use your coupons. Here are several options:
· Clip all coupons and file in a divided envelope (like a check file). This method is VERY time consuming, especially considering you will not use even half of your coupons.
· Clip all coupons and file in a 3-ring binder with see through baseball card pages. This method is even MORE time consuming and simply not necessary if you're using a list from either the grocery game or coupon mom.
· Clip all coupons and file in multiple dividers in a box of some kind. Again, very time consuming.
· Save all inserts intact and file by name (ie. RP for Redplum) and date. You would only clip the coupons you need each week!
3. Compare coupons to store sales! This is truly the key to saving lots of money. You can do this step several ways. The idea is to pair up a sale with a coupon to maximize your savings.
· Subscribe to a service like The Grocery Game. (My method!)
· Obtain the sale fliers for you preferred store from the paper or the store website.
· Use a free service like The Coupon Mom.
4. Make a grocery list! Clip or find the coupons you’ll need and head to the store! Be sure to get to know coupon policies at your preferred grocery store. For example, I shop at Harris Teeter and they only double 20 coupons per purchase. If I need to buy more items than that (this is rare) then I’ll make two trips that week.
5. Head to the store! Bring your list and ALL of your clipped coupons. It is very often that I find clearanced items for which I have a coupon. I have gotten nearly free things at Target and Harris Teeter just by having my coupons with me.
Some helpful websites:
The Grocery Game – service provides lists specific to your store, matching coupons to sales.
The Coupon Mom – free service providing similar lists and coupon info
Savvy Dollar – NC specific message boards and deal info
Hot Coupon World
Everyday Saver – source for online coupons.
A Full Cup - this site includes an extensive coupon database of all coupons and where to find them.
Money Saving Mom – great money saving blog with some great couponing 101 posts.
Deal Seeking Mom - another great blog for couponing and other deals.
The Coupon Clippers – service where you can "buy" (really a small handling fee + shipping) coupons for those really good deals.
FAQ’s
What if I don’t want to clip coupons?
Use a service like the coupon clippers. I often use this service to get extra copies of really good coupons! If you are using the GG, you can also save your coupon inserts and only clip needed coupons each week versus clipping all coupons every week!
How do you eat healthy and still use coupons?
This is probably the #1 reason people do not use coupons. Don't be sucked in by a coupon! I know when I first started using them I was tricked into buying a few things just because I had coupons! You don’t have to buy all the junk that you get coupons for! I only buy food that is healthy and that we can eat. The majority of the coupons I use are for non-food items. I save the most on things like shampoo, soap, razors, toilet paper, deodorant, etc. These savings allow me to buy plenty fresh produce, milk, eggs, meat and most of that organic or straight from the farm!
How much does the grocery game cost?
There is a FREE (just became free) 4 week trial! After that, one store list is $10 for 8 weeks. Each additional store is only $5 per 8 weeks. I cannot speak highly enough for this service as far as saving me time and money.
I buy only store brand items on sale, isn’t that cheaper than name brands?
No! I used to be a store brand only (and still am unless I have coupons) shopper. But there are rarely coupons for store brand items - Target being the exception. Frequently the name brands are cheaper when using coupons with sales. One thing to note is that to really save the most money, you can’t be too “brand loyal.” I used to buy only Charmin toilet paper, but now I use all brands and see a huge savings!
Can you use coupons at Walmart and Target?
Sure – but I don’t think the savings are any more than my local Harris Teeter. Walmart and Target do not double coupons like most grocery stores do. The Coupon Mom website includes lists for these stores. To be quite honest, neither store has a great track record for being "coupon friendly" and I am not usually happy with the produce and meat selections at these stores either.
Why do you pay for the Grocery Game when Coupon Mom is the same thing for FREE?
I have compared these two sites several times. The Coupon Mom seems to have slightly lower savings than the Grocery Game. (Both lists tell you percent savings on each item.) I believe this is because the Grocery Game doesn’t just simply pair coupons with sales. They track trends and know when the item is likely to reach its “rock bottom” price. Every time an item is on "sale" does not necessarily mean it is the best time to buy it. I see a higher savings using the Grocery Game.
After all that info, here is a rundown of my weekly coupon routine. Keep in mind that it has taken me two years to get to this point. When you first start with coupons - it will take TIME and it can be frustrating!
1. View and print my grocery game list on Sunday afternoon. (I only pay for a Harris Teeter list and it comes out on Sunday.)
2. Use MoneySavingMom or DealSeekingMom to find out my CVS deals for the week. Print a list of those as well. (More on CVS and other drugstores later this week!)
3. Using those lists, clip the coupons. This takes about 15-20 minutes depending on the length of my list.
4. Shop at Harris Teeter and CVS anytime between Sunday afternoon and Tuesday evening. (The Harris Teeter sales run from Wednesday to Tuesday - SO the grocery game list is only "valid" for that week from Sunday to Tuesday.) Usually Monday is my shopping day. However, I will shop CVS on Sunday if there are some really good deals that I will miss out on if I wait.
One final note...it is important to remember that this method of using coupons is based upon the idea of "stockpiling." Meaning - you don't simply make a meal plan, make a grocery list and use a few coupons for items on your list. You buy items you know you'll need ahead of time - when they are cheapest - and base your meal plans on what you already have or will be getting that week. Does that make sense?
In the two years since couponing, we have been able to lower our grocery budget to about $60/week. (It used to be as low as $50 - but then I added a third child to my household during weekdays and needed some more wiggle room for that!) We also have more toiletry items than I can store and we frequently donate our overflow to the Urban Ministries in Raleigh.
I love that I am able to save my family so much money while also increasing our ability to serve others - whether by donations or by making a meal for someone or by having friends over for dinner! Please ask questions for now and stay tuned for more posts later this week!
New Lineup
Posted by | Friday, July 24, 2009 at 2:18 PM
Thanks for all of the "Ask An Author" questions - PLEASE continue asking them for the next few weeks! Without further ado, here is the new lineup.
July. 27 Couponing
Aug. 3 Busy Mom Quiet Times
Aug. 10 Stroller Reviews
Aug. 17 Ask An Author
Aug. 24 Toddler Teach and Play
Aug. 31 Why I Love Being a Mom - Guest Authors!
Sept. 7 Birthday Parties
Sept. 14 Health Foods
Sept. 21 Discipline
Sept. 28 Holiday Traditions - Guest Authors!
Oct. 5 Natural Alternatives
Oct. 12 What I wish I knew before giving birth…
Oct. 19 Homemade Christmas Gifts
Oct. 26 Keeping Kids Safe
Nov. 2 More Schooling Options - Guest Authors!
Nov. 9 Organizing your Playroom/Toys
Nov. 16 Tour of Homes 2009
Nov. 23 Thanksgiving Rewind
Nov. 30 Pregnancy, Childbirth, Babies OVERSEAS - Guest Authors!
Dec. 7 How to Make Your Own…
Dec. 14 Book Reviews
Dec. 21 Christmas Rewind
Dec. 28 Tour of Homes Christmas Edition
A few notes about the schedule...
1. We're excited to have more guest author weeks! We're looking forward to hearing other perspectives on those topics.
2. The "Tour of Homes" week will be where we each do a post highlighting a room in our house. It's always fun to peek at other homes and get decorating ideas! Same with Christmas Tour of Homes, except we'll share our Christmas decorations! Get ready to share yours with us as well. We'll give more details later.
3. "What I wish I knew before giving birth" will include at least one day on post-partum depression as requested by a reader. Great idea for a topic that is rarely discussed!
If you have any questions about any of these, or think you can contribute to a week - please let us know! Have a great weekend and we'll see you Monday for some couponing tips!
July. 27 Couponing
Aug. 3 Busy Mom Quiet Times
Aug. 10 Stroller Reviews
Aug. 17 Ask An Author
Aug. 24 Toddler Teach and Play
Aug. 31 Why I Love Being a Mom - Guest Authors!
Sept. 7 Birthday Parties
Sept. 14 Health Foods
Sept. 21 Discipline
Sept. 28 Holiday Traditions - Guest Authors!
Oct. 5 Natural Alternatives
Oct. 12 What I wish I knew before giving birth…
Oct. 19 Homemade Christmas Gifts
Oct. 26 Keeping Kids Safe
Nov. 2 More Schooling Options - Guest Authors!
Nov. 9 Organizing your Playroom/Toys
Nov. 16 Tour of Homes 2009
Nov. 23 Thanksgiving Rewind
Nov. 30 Pregnancy, Childbirth, Babies OVERSEAS - Guest Authors!
Dec. 7 How to Make Your Own…
Dec. 14 Book Reviews
Dec. 21 Christmas Rewind
Dec. 28 Tour of Homes Christmas Edition
A few notes about the schedule...
1. We're excited to have more guest author weeks! We're looking forward to hearing other perspectives on those topics.
2. The "Tour of Homes" week will be where we each do a post highlighting a room in our house. It's always fun to peek at other homes and get decorating ideas! Same with Christmas Tour of Homes, except we'll share our Christmas decorations! Get ready to share yours with us as well. We'll give more details later.
3. "What I wish I knew before giving birth" will include at least one day on post-partum depression as requested by a reader. Great idea for a topic that is rarely discussed!
If you have any questions about any of these, or think you can contribute to a week - please let us know! Have a great weekend and we'll see you Monday for some couponing tips!
Ask a POH author!
Posted by | Monday, July 20, 2009 at 11:09 PM
Hi everyone! We're going to take the rest of this week off. We need to finalize the schedule for the rest of the year. Get excited - there are some new things planned! We'll post that new schedule later this week. In the meantime, we need YOUR input for a fun week we have planned.
This is your chance to...
Ask an Author any question you've been dying to ask!
We'll do our best to answer all of them to the best of our ability.
(disclaimer: we are not opening ourselves up for questions because we have all the answers - we do NOT. This is more for fun, but also to share our experiences and help you in any way we can!)
Here are some examples of what we're thinking:
"Krista, how long have you been making your own bread?"
"Leah, do your boys share a bedroom? How does that work?"
Try to keep the questions specific and not too general. They can be for a specifc author or for anyone in general. We don't want these to require long answers and tons of research!
You can use this post to leave your question via comment OR you can email us!
Thanks, readers!
This is your chance to...
Ask an Author any question you've been dying to ask!
We'll do our best to answer all of them to the best of our ability.
(disclaimer: we are not opening ourselves up for questions because we have all the answers - we do NOT. This is more for fun, but also to share our experiences and help you in any way we can!)
Here are some examples of what we're thinking:
"Krista, how long have you been making your own bread?"
"Leah, do your boys share a bedroom? How does that work?"
Try to keep the questions specific and not too general. They can be for a specifc author or for anyone in general. We don't want these to require long answers and tons of research!
You can use this post to leave your question via comment OR you can email us!
Thanks, readers!
Not Dishonoring the Word
Posted by | Monday, July 13, 2009 at 5:04 AM
Lately we’ve been looking at the list directed toward young women in Titus 2. Paul instructs young women to “be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored (or blasphemed as some translations read).” I’m going to focus on the end of this verse. What does it mean that the word of God may not be dishonored? Basically, the purpose of our (hopefully) godly actions are to bring glory to God and prove to others that Scripture is true! What a high calling! If we claim to be Christians, yet neglect to be discreet, good, obedient to our husbands, etc., we ruin not only our personal reputation as Christ’s children, but we also malign the Word so that others might doubt its truth.
As I was pondering this I couldn’t help but think of one very public example that has played out on the front pages of many magazines and news shows. Many (myself included) have watched the TLC show “Jon and Kate Plus Eight”. I really enjoyed watching how they interacted with each other and their kids when the show started. Their lives were certainly filled with much stress as they juggled eight very young children and I know that I can never fully understand the immense pressure they face in their daily lives. They have also been very public with their profession to be Christians (mainly in her book, Multiple Blessings). However, I began to notice that with each season, the show became less and less edifying and I almost felt embarrassed to be witnessing both Jon and Kate continually neglect their God-given roles. Both made mistakes and most recently announced their recent separation and impending divorce. How tragic! My heart breaks for this couple and for all of their children. But, my heart also breaks because of the many that have watched their show, and hear the news and know that they are Christians! Certainly the Word has been dishonored in this case. If we are going to be public about what the Lord has done for us, we better back it up with lives fully committed and obedient to the Word! What better place to start than in our own homes? Do I treat my husband with respect? Do I seek to be discreet and chaste? Is the home my priority? I am certainly not perfect and I’m glad there aren’t cameras in my house. The world may not witness my faults, but those in my home will. Will they grow up knowing that my actions back up what I teach them from the Bible or am I dishonoring the Word even as I teach it to my children? We need to always be aware that in public or private, we need to “practice what we preach” so that God’s Word is held in high esteem and that others can know the saving grace of Jesus.
As I was pondering this I couldn’t help but think of one very public example that has played out on the front pages of many magazines and news shows. Many (myself included) have watched the TLC show “Jon and Kate Plus Eight”. I really enjoyed watching how they interacted with each other and their kids when the show started. Their lives were certainly filled with much stress as they juggled eight very young children and I know that I can never fully understand the immense pressure they face in their daily lives. They have also been very public with their profession to be Christians (mainly in her book, Multiple Blessings). However, I began to notice that with each season, the show became less and less edifying and I almost felt embarrassed to be witnessing both Jon and Kate continually neglect their God-given roles. Both made mistakes and most recently announced their recent separation and impending divorce. How tragic! My heart breaks for this couple and for all of their children. But, my heart also breaks because of the many that have watched their show, and hear the news and know that they are Christians! Certainly the Word has been dishonored in this case. If we are going to be public about what the Lord has done for us, we better back it up with lives fully committed and obedient to the Word! What better place to start than in our own homes? Do I treat my husband with respect? Do I seek to be discreet and chaste? Is the home my priority? I am certainly not perfect and I’m glad there aren’t cameras in my house. The world may not witness my faults, but those in my home will. Will they grow up knowing that my actions back up what I teach them from the Bible or am I dishonoring the Word even as I teach it to my children? We need to always be aware that in public or private, we need to “practice what we preach” so that God’s Word is held in high esteem and that others can know the saving grace of Jesus.
Handmade Praise
Posted by | Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 10:07 PM
Thanks to everyone for the great ideas in the previous post about scripture memory! Courtney made a comment about a ring of notecards with verses on them and I realized that I had forgotten this one thing in my list....
These are handmade and handpainted keychain verses. A friend here in our area makes these and sells them here on etsy. (She did not ask me to post this - I just like these cards that much!) Her etsy shop is called Handmade Praise and she has other items as well. These are GORGEOUS laminated cards - about the size of a credit card, license or gym member card that you might carry on your keychain. I don't personally have a set yet, but have given them as gifts and they are very well received! What a beautiful and creative way to carry scripture with you!
I thought some of you might be interested in these and just wanted to share.
Hiding the Word
Posted by | Sunday, July 5, 2009 at 9:30 PM
"I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."
~Psalm 119:11
This is a popular verse and one that I almost have memorized. (I couldn't remember the reference and had to look it up!) Ironic, considering the greatest thing I can do to hide the word in my heart is to memorize scripture.
I have never been very good at memorizing scripture, especially the reference. It is something I continually work on and feel like I've learned more verses through teaching my son than anything else! ("Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." Ephesians 6:1 - that one I can quote upside down and backwards! Anyone else know this one? :)
Hopefully, we can all share some practical ideas for incorporating scriptures in our everyday lives (this week's official topic). Here is a quick list of my ideas - some I use and some that I'd like to use!
1. Use dry erase markers to write scripture on your mirrors. You can also use this to write encouraging messages to your hubby to see when he gets up early for work! (I think I'll go do this one now!) Whatever scripture you need to see at that time of day, write it.
2. Write a verse on a small piece of paper to carry around in your pocket - especially on hard days when you need minute by minute encouragement to press on, fight sin or remain patient when your three year old pees on the floor, again!
3. Tape notecards with scripture on them on your computer. Tape them to your microwave to see while you stand at the stove. Tape them in your car somewhere. Read them out loud! This helps memorization a lot, for me at least!
4. Listen to Steve Green's Hide 'Em in Your Heart - if you can stand it. :) I know some complain of the annoyance factor, but we love these cd's to listen to with my kids and I've definitely learned scripture this way!
5. Try to make it a habit to include an encouraging scripture in your emails to your husband, friends and family. And don't just make it your automatic signature. Actually include one each time either from memory or take a minute to look one up. Encouraging to you and the recipient!
6. Listen to the bible on your ipod! There are lots of free itunes downloads of scripture. We have some and you can download short sections or entire books usually.
7. Incorporate scripture into your home decor. Margaret had a great idea that she posted about here. I've been wanting to make some art with scriptures to hang in my kid's rooms.
Alright - I want your ideas now! Tell me how you incorporate scripture into your life!
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